Nov 17, 2023; Pullman, Washington, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders walks off the field after a game against the Washington State Cougars at Gesa Field at Martin Stadium. Washington State won 56-14. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-USA TODAY Sports
The Colorado Buffaloes are back from the Spring Break and so is the grind. Coach Prime is back marshaling his boys to the Black and Gold weekend festivities that are set to happen this April end. Leading up to the spring game, the CU Buffs players are being grilled on a day-to-day basis by Deion Sanders as seen on his son’s channel Well Off Media regularly.
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However, things took a dramatic turn today when Coach Prime read out an e-mail from a college professor about his student-athletes. In the message to Sanders, the professor was seen expressing his concern and pain caused by the student athletes’ unwillingness to attend classes.
The professor noted that the semester has been extremely tough on him because students are barely showing up to the online classes. Even when they do, they don’t seem to be present mentally. They are just there to be there. This has hurt the professor a lot and he called it the most “disrespected” he has felt in his 10 years of teaching.
“This semester has been extremely challenging for me as a professor. I have never felt so disrespected in my 10 years of teaching. Students do not follow even minimally and it slows down my class so much that they make it clear that they don’t want to be here and they have very little personal responsibility making me responsible for their grave.”
After reading out the e-mail, Coach Sanders expressed his disappointment and made his boys understand that respect and being a good student is paramount. In the video, Coach Prime is seen revealing that he was frustrated and angry with the mail. He acknowledged the fact that 90%-95% of his students may not make it pro level. Hence as a coach / mentor, it’s on him to prepare his students for life than just the football field. Because for most, they will have to lead a life outside the field. He said,
“I’m a little frustrated. I’m a little angry right now because we in this new collective in a NIL state of mind, we have youngsters who are all in on one side of the game. 90% % or 95% of your roster ain’t going pro. So as coaches, we have to emphasize education. We have to emphasize life. We have to emphasize the next step, the next elevation. If it doesn’t work in the game, come in. So today was not wonderful, but I’d be damned if I allow these kids to get out of here without something because this life they getting ready to live, you got to win with your mind not your athleticism.”
One can understand where Sanders’ frustration is coming from. Coach Prime has always been about discipline and respect. Thus a disrespectful act like this by his students must have surely left a sour taste in his mouth. And every time it did, Coach Prime well ensured that his students felt the heat of it.
Coach Prime’s Emphasis on Discipline
Coach Deion Sanders started his college coaching career with the Jackson State Tigers. In his three-year stint with JSU, Coach Prime led them to a stellar 19-2 conference record and a 27-6 overall record. One of the key pillars in the foundation of JSU’s success under Prime was discipline. One of the prime examples of this was seen at the post-match locker room talk after a JSU game in 2021.
After the players were back in the locker room, Coach Prime saw the aloofness of his players as they were on their phones after a loss. This irked Coach Prime so much that he gave them a thunderous earful that would make most men shiver. “If I catch one of y’all on your phones right now, you ain’t playing. GET OFF THE PHONE,” yelled Sanders vociferously.
Since then, Coach Prime in most of his locker room chats in JSU or Colorado has constantly iterated about avoiding phone usage in the locker room. If there is one thing that irks Sanders the most, it’s definitely a smartphone. Hence it’s imperative for the Colorado boys to follow Coach Prime’s advice to the heart because if not, he knows how to be tough.
Suresh Menon is an NFL writer at The SportsRush with over 700 articles to his name. Early in his childhood, Suresh grew up admiring the famed BBC of Juventus making the Italian club his favorite. His love for soccer however soon translated to American football when he came across a Super Bowl performance from his Favourite Bruno Mars. Tom Brady’s performance in the finals left an imprint on him and since then, he has been a die hard Brady fan. Thus his love for the sport combined with his flair for communication is the reason why he decided to pursue sports journalism at The SportsRush. Beyond football, in his free time, he is a podcast host and likes spending time solving the Rubik’s cube.
